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Prichard Committee says big goals, transparency, better tests create ‘world-class’ education


Ambitious goals, greater transparency and better tests are among the recommendations of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence for the state’s new accountability system. The statewide citizens group said the accountability system should be a major driver of education excellence for all students no matter their background or the barriers they face to success.
 
Noting that a steering committee led by the Kentucky Board of Education is working to design a new accountability system, Prichard Executive Director Brigitte Blom Ramsey urges lawmakers, “to consider legislation to give greater prominence to three elements we find essential to achieving a brighter future for our students and for the competitiveness of our state.”
 
Those elements are:


●  An ambitious and achievable statewide goal for student performance that is specific and measurable and establishes a clear timeline and expectations.


●  Policies that ensure transparency by making comparable education information at the state, district and school levels far more understandable, accessible and timely for parents, students and the public; accountability ratings should take into account the performance of each group of students.


●  Tests that measure the depth of knowledge expected in higher standards, including what students should know and be able to do to compete in the economy of the future.

Bridget Blom Ramsey

Brigette Blom Ramsey


 
Ramsey describes the elements as representing the next essential steps to ensure Kentucky delivers a world-class education for each student. “These steps build on a long tradition of leadership from the General Assembly . . . It is because of this strong leadership and shared commitment that we find ourselves now ready to fully embrace the next giant leap.”
 
Accountability and transparency for student results have long been high priorities for the Prichard Committee, which believes the system should serve the following four essential purposes:


●  Provide information about student performance to parents, policymakers and the broader public that they can act upon to make improvements.


● Sustain a sense of urgency to improve student learning, including identifying schools and districts that need special support to better serve students.


● Communicate priority focus areas for statewide improvement.


● Illuminate the return on investments in Kentucky’s public education system.
 
“Above all, the accountability system must drive high and consistent expectations for all students, schools and districts,” Ramsey said. “This is the key education issue facing the 2017 General Assembly.”

From Prichard Committee
 


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One Comment

  1. In this article the Prichard Committee calls for:

    “An ambitious and achievable statewide goal for student performance that is specific and measurable and establishes a clear timeline and expectations.”

    That’s really good, but it leads me to wonder: is Prichard changing its stance on the Common Core State Standards, which were cut-and-paste adopted as the current Kentucky Core Academic Standards for math and English language arts subjects?

    First, it is important to understand that real education standards are supposed to provide specific and measurable goals and expectations, precisely the things Prichard calls for in this article. Common Core should (but does not) provide these things.

    Furthermore, Common Core’s deficiencies create confusion about what really needs to be tested and how those tests should be graded. So, it is no surprise that Prichard also indicates better standards and testing are needed since Common Core miserably failed to provide the guidance needed.

    But, here is the mystery.

    In the not very distant past Prichard strongly defended the Common Core State Standards for Math and English Language Arts. Those defenses included Ms. Ramsey’s participation in publicly sponsored debates by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and by the Louisville Forum. Prichard even adopted a resolution in support of the Kentucky Core Academic Standards which – to reiterate – are just a cut-and-paste adoption of the Common Core for English Language Arts and Math.

    So, what is going on here? Was Prichard wrong about Common Core/Kentucky’s Core Academic Standards or not? Prichard can’t have this both ways.

    And, if Prichard really is changing its stance on Common Core, they should be up front and clear about that. Our kids deserve no less.

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